The only emotion I feel is intense, overwhelming relief. No, that's not true; I feel deep gratitude as well. I am grateful to the competent and comforting staff who made my abortion, which could have been terrible, a positive experience. I am thankful to the doctor who performed my abortion with professionalism and skill. I am thankful to all the pioneers in the pro-choice movement who went before me and secured the right for me to have an abortion, and I am deeply thankful that this choice was available.

I feel like I have been given a second chance at life, and I came out of this episode with many gifts: a stronger relationship with my boyfriend, a better understanding of myself as a woman, and the knowledge that someday when I am ready and I do bring a child into this world, I will be even more relieved that I made this choice.
-Robin

Dear Friend of Choice:

You are among the 'pro-choice pioneers' who helped preserve Robin's freedom. Thank you for your activism and support!

Do you recall the origin of your passion for choice? Was it your belief in individual freedom? Your concern about the well-being of children? That motherhood must be chosen, not imposed? That one religion should not govern all?

These days when we talk of FREEDOM, we remember the lives lost and families devastated at the hands of those who hate freedom.

In 1998 outside a Birmingham Alabama clinic, a bomb exploded killing security guard Sandy Sanderson leaving behind his wife and three children. Nurse Emily Lyons lost the sight in one eye and was physically maimed. Now on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, Eric Rudolph remains at large.

Today Emily reminds us... "Our freedom has been fought for by generations before us, just as we do today. Few things of such value come cheap. I am here to tell you, it is worth the price."

Like other abortion providers, Feminist Women's Health Center has faced a barrage of threats, violence, and intimidation over the years. Patients, doctors and staff have learned to live with - indeed rely upon - security guards, cameras overhead, metal detectors, ID checks at the door...

Why do they attack us? It is because women having control over their lives represents freedom. It is because they want the United States to have laws that enforce their narrow set of religious beliefs. It is because they don't trust individuals to make their own decisions about sexuality, religion, or reproduction. In fact, they appear to be proud of their own intolerance.

This summer when the anti-abortion group "Operation Save America" convened a weeklong demonstration at Dr. Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas, their T-shirts read: "Intolerance is a beautiful thing."

Soon after September 11, television evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson blamed "abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the ACLU … all those who have tried to secularize America."

Like the Taliban, American fundamentalists abhor the pluralism, diversity, and personal freedoms that make America strong. Their intolerance stands in stark contrast to what happens each day inside our clinics: a freedom that affirms women's lives, as Robin has so eloquently described.

Feminist Women's Health Center is here because women deserve information, tools, and health care to prevent unintended pregnancy, and the option of safe abortion if they so choose. We trust women to decide.

Those who hate women's freedom attack us to intimidate us into quitting.Well, we refuse to quit. Please send your donation today to help continue our work! Thank you so much for your support.

With appreciation,

Joan Schrammeck
Development Director

P.S. To make a donation, use the safe and secure online donation form at Network for Good.

or mail your check to:
Feminist Women's Health Center
106 East E Street
Yakima, WA  98901 USA

FWHC is a 501(c)3 non-profit, EIN 91-1083929. Donations are tax deductible. FWHC is registered with the Secretary of State in Olympia.

Donations support:

Women In Need Fund. WIN underwrites abortion services for women with limited financial resources. WIN funds make abortion accessible by covering abortion, motels, transportation, childcare, whatever it takes to make choice a reality.

Community Education. We bring tools, information, and empowerment to women and teens, including birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, self cervical and breast exams, and menopause information. In Spanish and English. This website is a global resource for reproductive health and freedom of choice.

Physician Training Program. We are dedicated to sharing expertise about first and second trimester abortion technique.

Clinic Safety and Security. Security guards and equipment cost over $100,000 annually for our three clinics in Washington State.

Abortion is a matter of personal liberty and responsibility. Your donation helps protect women's ability to act upon their private moral decisions. We offer them choices and trust their decisions. Without providers, the right to choose is meaningless.

more ways to support our work:
visit www.Shop4Choice.org
where your online shopping supports choice

Feminist Women's Health Center